As it says on the back of the box- It's "not a rarities collection of Dial-A-Song demos, but rather a comprehensive anthology of the very best recorded work of They Might Be Giants spanning the first 20 years of the band's career... This deluxe 52-song, 2 disc set also includes a full-color booklet with complete lyrics, discography, and essays by the band and This American Life's Sarah Vowell." If you were looking for a way to turn your friends on to the world of TMBG, or just want a good "overview" of our catalog-this is the set for you.

Flansburgh writes: John and I put together this set of songs. Of course it is a very subjective business as to what material should be included, but I think we did a pretty good job. Disc one is essentially our better known songs- not just singles but songs that have become more notorious for other reasons (including the previously soundtrack-restricted "Dr. Evil" and "Boss of Me") and the second disc is a survey of our more unusual material (from "Fingertips" to "I Can Hear You") and less celebrated songs that we think are simply good ("She's An Angel" and "How Can I Sing Like A Girl?")

As this is essentially a retrospective, there is not a lot of new material for you hardcores out there, but we have included a number of unreleased tracks that capture some unique aspects of the band. The high spirits and frighteningly low fidelity of an early show is captured in a live recording of "Stormy Pinkness" recorded in Berlin in 1989 with the audience stomping the floor and chanting "Love! Love! Love!" The elaborate Dan Hickey drum solo from "She's Actual Size" is captured in a new live recording from this year's No! Show at one of our Fillmore appearances in San Francisco just a few months ago. The other unreleased tracks are the original Pat Dillett-produced demo of "Spy" (which we always liked better-it also includes Robin "Goldie" Goldwasser's bloodcurdling scream) and the "adult version" of "Robot Parade" with Dan Miller showering us with a blizzard of shred.

A really cool thing about this set is the package, designed by Barbara Glauber. Two really long CDs and a nice full color book that still fits on your shelf, the package has "phone and phone book" motif with doodles, along with the unexpected presence of a couple of big black ants. Very enigmatic and quite beautifully photographed. There are two essays-one about the band by the charming Sarah Vowell and one by us about the influence of Dial-A-Song on our songwriting sensibility-and some nice archival photos including a pic from our very first gig together in the summer of 1982 at the Sandinista rally in Central Park.